Great Western Coffee Shop

An appeal has been made for improved CCTV coverage at Twyford railway station to combat late night disorder.

Cllr Stephen Conway (Lib Dem, Twyford) has put pressure on police and Wokingham Borough Council for cameras to be installed in the station entrance and is hopeful rail bosses will support his view.

A number of mobile cameras already survey the station platforms but they do not cover the forecourt area or outside which has been scene to violent assaults, vandalism and drunken disorder over the years.

Cllr John Kersley, executive member for community safety in Wokingham Borough, said he thought the idea was 'right and sensible' and thought the cameras would act as a deterrent.

A spokesman for First Great Western said: "We do everything we can to ensure the safety of all our customers and are in the process of reviewing CCTV systems throughout our network. We would be more than happy to listen to what Councillor Conway has to say."

Twyford train station has been named as one of the most secure just weeks after operators installed new CCTV cameras to combat vandalism and crime.

Maidenhead MP Theresa May praised the efforts of First Great Western after Twyford train station was recognised under the Department for Transport^s Secure Stations Scheme.

Stations which have co-operated with the police and other local partners to implement the best possible security measures are also highlighted.

Ms May said: ^It^s great to see the Department for Transport awarding First Great Western  Secure Stations Status to Cookham, Maidenhead and Twyford stations. Public transport links are vital to so many people living in the local area and the added reassurance that they can travel in safety will encourage more people to leave their car at home and travel by train.^

New CCTV cameras were recently installed after repeated calls for the cameras from Twyford Parish Council. The council had been told cameras would be in place by Christmas but the security measures were actually introduced last month.

Stephen Conway, Liberal Democrat on Twyford Parish Council, said: ^I think it^s excellent news, very pleasing. Many people have been waiting for this for a long time.

^There have been problems in the past with anti-social behaviour and crime and it has affected people who have been passengers returning home and local residents. This is really good news for all those people who use the service and one hopes these cameras will stop any crime.^

Twyford train station was a hot spot for vandalism with automatic ticket machines being broken into in May.

A spokesman for First Great Western, said: ^We put a great deal of work in to improving all of our stations whether that is about comfort, cleanliness, or all the way through to the safety of our customers and our colleagues. It is really great that Theresa May has taken the time to write personally to our station managers to thank them for the work that they have done for our customers. I think it^s really great that she^s given people the recognition and we will all be keeping our fingers on the pulse to make sure standards are maintained. We do a number of things to discourage people from vandalising those machines and making sure if something does happen we can catch people quite quickly. We are hoping the new CCTV will have an effect and really act as a deterrent.^

The Secure Stations accreditation draws on crime figures and customers^ opinions and also highlights methods of increasing security through lighting, signage, CCTV and good management.

From the Wokingham Times (http://www.getwokingham.co.uk/news/s/2076116_station_named_among_safest_on_the_railway):

Furious mum calls for 24-hour disabled access at Twyford station

An angry mum is calling for 24-hour disabled access at Twyford station after a humiliating journey with her son.
 
Hurst mum Sarah Barnard, 46, spent more than two hours trying to get from London to Twyford on Sunday, January 27, after being sent on an unsuccessful detour to Reading with wheelchair-bound Theodore.
 
Now the mum-of-three is insisting on action from First Great Western (FGW) to avoid more families being embarrassed by the limited service.
 
She said: ^It ended up being a disaster. We couldn^t even get off the train [at Twyford]. It spoiled the whole trip.
 
^They have ramps and lifts but there are times you can^t access them.

^We did the research [for travel] to the British Museum and the timetable website could check on services that are wheelchair accessible. Nothing popped up to suggest we couldn^t use it at a certain time.^
 
Miss Barnard and 12-year-old Theodore, who has cerebral palsy, were sent to Reading where they were advised to wait for a disabled access taxi which never came. Station staff eventually decided to escort them back to Twyford with a ramp.
 
^The guys that helped us were really lovely, it was just a rubbish system,^ Miss Barnard added. ^It was humiliating for Theodore. We should be able to use facilities that are already there.
 
^We are not the first people this has happened to. A man was stranded on the middle platform on New Year^s Eve.
 
^It makes me angry, when they opened the lifts there was a big hoo-ha - but it^s not true.^
 
The station lift opened in November 2009 and is available while the station is staffed between 6am and 7pm on weekdays and 8am to 3.30pm at weekends.
 
FGW provide free alternative transport from an accessible station to an unaccessible station during unmanned hours.
 
A FGW spokesman said: ^Railway infrastructure dates back 160 years and we know many of our stations need work to improve accessibility.

^In the past three years we have delivered improvements at over 40 stations, spending in excess of ^6m.
 
^To ensure best value for money we have to prioritise which station improvements will benefit the most number of people.
 
^We will be considering accessibility at Twyford in future works programmes.^

Decriminalising parking and traffic wardens could solve Twyford car chaos, says councillor

Cllr Lindsay Ferris will deliver a motion to the full council meeting tomorrow which aims to solve the problems in the village

Parking problems in a village could be solved by decriminalising parking and bringing in street traffic wardens.

That^s the view of a councillor who is submitting a motion to the full borough meeting tomorrow try to end parking chaos in Twyford.

Councillor Lindsay Ferris wants the changes to prevent commuters at Twyford Station from abandoning their cars in nearby residential roads. Rather than double yellow lines, he wants timed restrictions in place and borough wardens employed to enforce them.

Cllr Ferris said: ^Parking will only increase because of Crossrail, new housing and the attractive service between Twyford and Paddington. What we find in Twyford is there are quite a lot of people who drive from the northern part of Wokingham to catch the train to Paddington. Enforcement still has to be the local police and I have put a motion forward that it can be agreed we can pursue decriminalisation.^

The station is managed by First Great Western with the car park leased out. A day parking ticket costs ^6.10 with reductions for season ticket holders.

The Liberal Democrat councillor said parking restrictions, enforced by borough wardens, would be the answer not just in Twyford, but Winnersh and Earley.

He said: ^Parking problems are a low priority for Thames Valley Police and therefore it becomes difficult to put any parking restrictions in place. Rather than double yellow lines we need ^no parking^ restrictions between 10am and 11am Monday to Friday. They have a restriction in Orpington Close in Twyford, why is it suitable there, but not in similar longer roads nearby? Because Thames Valley Police would not enforce it. It is exceedingly frustrating. People get home in the evening and cannot park near their homes because commuters are parked there until 7.30pm. There is a knock-on cost, but there is a cost associated with council tax and police doing the service.^

A two-day survey by the borough was carried out last month to monitor parking with partial number plates recorded to identify how long a vehicle had been there.

Cllr Ferris said he was waiting to hear the results of the survey. He added: ^I would expect them to provide me with a report with what they find.^

Councillor Keith Baker, Wokingham Borough Council leader, said: ^Responding to concerns from residents in that area, the aim of our two-day survey was to look closely at the parking in and around Twyford station, to see if there are enough spaces in its car park. We will now analyse these findings during the next few weeks, and a report will hopefully go before council towards the end of the summer highlighting our options.